Esclante trip Grandmas Kithchen

So this is where it all began. When Grandma and Grandpa built this house it had no running water and was a much smaller house. I don't want to go into the whole history in this blog, but over the years there have been many amazing memories made in this home. It has been a gathering spot for Grandkids, Friends and families. I am sure if the walls could talk, there would be many more happy stories than not.

When we went to the house I was surprised at how much smaller everything seemed. The kitchen however is magic. No matter how many people showed up, somehow there was always room and enough food for everyone.

Grandpas Hat rack. This was in the corner behind his chair, in the middle bedroom. Grandma kept her ironing board there, and most importantly the marble game was always tucked away in a bag on the floor.

The cookie jar. Grandma made the best sugar cookies. They were huge and came in three colors. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. When we would come to visit we would usually find the homemade treats inside of this guy. If you were careful, you could tip the head without pulling off the whole top and see what was inside, very seldom were we disappointed. I think what I remember and like most about the cookies from inside of this jar was that the frosting from the vanilla would stick to the bottom of the chocolate. If you pulled them out just right you were able to get a little bit of both.

This guy was usually where the hydrox or store bought cookies were. If we ran out of homemade then we would raid this one next. It's funny how you remember the little things like opening this one up by the ears and sitting the top down on the counter next to it in order to get the cookies.

I wish this wasn't so blurry, but if you click on the picture it is easier to read. there are still a few things that I should have taken pictures of, like the "kissin don't last, cookin do" sign, and the inside of the stove where the pots and pans are stored. I also should have taken a picture of the spoon holder that She would sit out at every meal.

The Front porch. When I was young this was a project that I was involved in. I remember going out with my dad and grandpa to find rocks to fill in under the porch for the concrete pour. This porch was probably one of the most awesome places on earth to be. When it would rain, (like in this photo) you could sit there and look down the street and watch the rain come from down the road like a curtain until it was at the house. There was always a cool breeze and you could sit on the old couch or chairs and just watch the rain roll in. Over the years many stories were told on this porch. On Saturday I turned the corner to see my Dad, Renon, Vernon Dean and one of my second cousins shooting the breeze. Diane was recording what was being said. When they saw me they said, you better go or your Dad won't tell any more of his stories. Then one of them piped up and joked "yes, they are x-rated" Now I have been to Esclante many times, and can't imagine what an x-rated story would be, maybe it had something to do with farm animals, but I didn't want to know, so I went back to work.

The Kitchen sink.

Anyone who knew Grandma or did dishes with her will remember how it never seemed like a chore. I don't know if she knew that you could mix cold water with your hot water, but it was always scalding (that is how you got rid of the germs.) I always had to use tongs to get the plates out, but she could grab right in and rinse and wash them without burning her hands.

This is a view from the kitchen sink. It was a porthole to the world of Escalante. From this window you could see clear to the end of the street, you could check for logging trucks that Grandma and Grandpa just knew were going to run us over. (Darren made a funny comment, He said it wasn't until he was older that he realized that logging trucks actually had brakes and could stop if they saw a kid in the road.)

This is the sink and curtains to the Porthole. The sink was metal and must have came as a modular unit when it was purchased. Wash in the left, Rinse in the right, stack in in the corner, spoons knifes and forks go in the drawer to the left. Sharp knives go in the drawer to the right.

This is not in the kitchen, but how could we leave it out. I remember reading this as a kid and thinking it was a little racy because it had the word pantys in it. Even Grandma had a great sense of humor.

Grandpas truck was purchased the same year I was born. It is getting pretty old, but still seems to be holding up better than me. I loved that it it was all metal inside. Brett said that the thing he liked most about this truck was that you could get get in it with without worrying about muddy feet. He also pointed out the fact that every time we all got in it to go somewhere it seemed like something would break and leave us stranded. Fortunately this didn't happen this weekend.

A couple of these came out a little blurry, but oh well, you should get the picture.